Well, I'm in Ohio. I've been here for less than a week, and it's already been a pretty big six days.

First off, my frequent (and usually only) commenter and friend, Annie, ratted me out to ohdeedoh.com last week. Ohdeedoh is a the parent/kid oriented division of Apartment Therapy. As I am not a parent, I was unaware that such a site existed. But I've been a longtime fan of Apartment Therapy, so the complement is accepted with open arms. Anyway, they made a totally flattering post about my recently defunct mural. So awesome. Thanks, Annie!

In addition to all that, I've spent the last 4 days toiling away on my MacBook Pro, working on a portfolio site. After lots and lots of tweaking, it's finally done (well, enough to release to the public, anyway). Take a look!

heartbreak in the form of semi-gloss ultra pure white interior.

This is the greatest thing I have created in years. The last time I remember being truly happy was working on this mural. It was a warm spring day. The windows and back door were wide open. I was drinking a bottle of sparkling rose wine I had been given from a wine rep at work. I had a pack of Camel Lights, and my friends, the Buffalo Killers, were playing on my computer. My clothes were covered in paint and I was on Cloud 9.

The designs were taken from this amazing book I got at the Chicago Public Library that inspired me more than most things have. I've always been really into Pennsylvania Dutch art, ever since my family stayed in a cabin in Lancaster, PA when I was a kid. I also loved how much these designs reminded me of my favorite textiles by Marimekko, like this one, Bottna:

Anyhow, today, I'm painting over this mural. I keep stopping to stare at it, as though my heart is breaking. I can't wait until I own my own walls to paint my heart onto.